We are calling on Southwark Council to immediately halt the proposed closure of the Southwark  Dementia Advisory Service, a service provided by Alzheimer's Society trained advisers. This vital lifeline supports hundreds of individuals living with dementia, as well as the unpaid family carers who look after them. Closing this service will leave some of the most vulnerable members of our community isolated, overwhelmed, and without expert guidance.

Why this matters

·         ​Receiving a dementia diagnosis is life-changing. The Southwark Dementia Advisory Service acts as the compass for families navigating this distressing time. Their specialist advisors provide expert dementia-specific face-to-face guidance, including planning for the future, care planning, and connecting people to vital community networks, as well as advocacy for people living with dementia and their carers when they are admitted to hospital. To be inclusive, support must be delivered in several ways, and some people living with dementia and their carers will prefer the personal 1:1 support, rather than telephone or online support.

·         ​For many local carers, this service is the only thing standing between coping and a complete breakdown. 

​If this service is closed-

·         ​Carers will be pushed to  breaking point: Unpaid family members will be left to navigate a complex, fragmented health and social care system alone

·         Current dementia support services will not have the capacity to support further referrals. Other Southwark-based charities (such as Blackfriars Settlement, Southwark Pensioners and Time and Talents) will be under increased pressure to support people living with dementia and their carers. There is no extra funding to pay for this increase in demand. This will lead to longer waiting lists.

·         Southwark residents will be without the expertise and support of Dementia Advisers with intrinsic local knowledge. This creates a postcode lottery of inequity, as residents of adjacent boroughs in Lewisham and Lambeth will continue to have access to this specific support.

·         A struggling NHS will face more pressure: Stripping away preventative community care will inevitably lead to an increase in crises and, undoubtedly, a rise in people living with dementia attending ED (In 2019/20, there were over 1,620 emergency hospital admissions by Southwark residents with a diagnosis of dementia).

​Our Demands

​We demand that Southwark Council: 

·         ​Immediately reverse the decision to close the Southwark Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Advisory Service. 

·         ​Secures ring-fenced funding to ensure the service can continue its essential face-to-face and community outreach work. 

​Dementia doesn't wait, and neither can we. Please sign this petition to tell decision-makers that we must prioritise support for people living with dementia and their carers. They deserve dignity, support, and care—not budget cuts. 

​Save Southwark Dementia Advisory Service. Sign and protect people living with dementia and their carers.